Making Friends
by God Boy's Girl
Summary: When Hyuuga Neji is informed of a problem he has acquired, he flees from the village and gets caught up in the life of a girl he doesn't know. Threats slowly begin to show themselves. Will Neji ever get his problem fixed? NejiOC
1. The news

**Authors Notes:**

Okay, this is my very first story, and I've tried really hard to keep the characters in character. Everyone may be a little ooc, but I've done my best to keep them the way they really are. I'm new to writing, so I hope you enjoy! Happy reading!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto, nor any of Masashi Kishimoto's characters. Nor will I ever. I am just a fan who enjoys watching the anime and reading the manga.

**Making Friends**

The room was a dull white, and the lights were dim, but that was so they would not disturb the figure lying in the middle of the bleak room, settled on top of a white-sheeted bed. Next to him sat a young woman, wondering if he would ever wake up.

Before the young man on the bed, Hyuuga Neji, had been hospitalized, he had been on a special A-ranked mission. He, Nara Shikamaru, Uzamaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura, and Rock Lee were to fight on the side of the Hidden Waterfall Village and stop the intruders from progressing any further into the village.

The mission itself was a success, but Neji had been attacked from behind during the middle of the fight; a red dagger finding its way into his only blind spot. The attack had been long-ranged and accurate, but Neji still managed to kill the man who had thrown the dagger in the end.

Neji collapsed just after he learned that the mission was a success; all enemies driven out. Sakura immediately rushed to help the man, doing her best to heal him without the proper tools she needed.

It was difficult.

When they arrived back in Konohagakure, Naruto and Neji were placed in the hospital; both unconscious. Naruto had used up too much of the Nine-Tailed Fox's chakra, and Sakura said he basically just needed a good night's sleep. Neji, unfortunately, was stuck in the hospital much longer than Naruto was.

During his long stay, Tenten visited him every other day to check up on his progress and give a report to Gai and Lee.

---

Neji groaned lightly as he carefully cracked open his white eyes. He coughed for a moment, looking around in confusion, for he had no idea where he was at. He sat up; pulling the I.V. cord out of his arm in the process, to which he winced and massaged his arm sorely. He looked down to his left shoulder, where he had been hit by the dagger, and found it to be covered in thick gauze.

"Good, you're up!" Tenten said cheerily. Neji stared at her in silence for a moment, before muttering unintelligibly, "huh?" He was half asleep, still, and couldn't think quite clearly. Plus, whatever hospital drugs that had been put into him made his thoughts a little foggy.

"Gai-sensei wants to talk to you, Neji," Tenten said suddenly, with a light sigh in her tone. "I suggest going in the morning, though. It's pretty late right now."

Neji wasn't paying any attention to Tenten. The only thing he had heard her say was the first statement that she had made, and now he was trying to figure out a way to get out of this place, and fast. His mind sobered up, finally, as he realized he was in a hospital. He was extremely glad that Konoha's hospitals allowed their patients to wear their own clothes, instead of gowns that only covered your front.

Tenten continued to talk, not noticing that Neji wasn't paying attention. When the Hyuuga stood up, she almost told him to lie back down – but she knew Neji too well, and kept her mouth quiet in fear of the consequences of telling _him_ what to do.

Before anyone could protest, Neji was out of the hospital and in Konoha's streets. He carefully avoided everyone as he made his way towards the Hyuuga Compound. He finally stopped at the sliding door entrance to his home. He was just about to pull it open when it was shoved aside from the inside instead. Neji stumbled back in shock, staring up at the man who had opened the door; Hiashi Hyuuga.

The head Hyuuga looked down at his nephew with a sigh. He motioned for Neji to stand up straight again, and when Neji did as told, he spoke. "Go get dressed in proper clothing," he instructed. "You and I are going to see your sensei."

Neji nodded, baffled and confused, as he walked down the hall, into the Branch-member area of the compound, and towards his room. Once inside, he pulled his regular uniform out of the closet and changed into it. He walked over to the mirror that was leaning against his wall and tied his long hair in its usual ponytail. He examined himself for a moment.

His shirt covered up the gauze, so he didn't have to worry about that being seen, but his hair had grown much longer in the month (as he'd learned it had been) he had stayed in the hospital.

Neji opened the door to his room and was surprised to see Hinabi standing there – a place she usually was not at. She didn't say anything, and just settled for standing there and looking at him. Since she was alone, Neji was a little concerned (he, his uncle, and his cousins had gotten along much better after his fight with Naruto two-and-a-half years prior). "Is there something I can help you with, Hinabi-sama?"

"Are they true? The rumors I've heard going around the house?" Hinabi asked urgently. Neji stared at her in confusion. "What rumors?"

"You mean you don't know yet?"

"Know _what_?"

"Hinabi, shouldn't you be in your room by now?" Hiashi asked sternly, walking up to the pair. Hinabi looked at her father with slight frustration, but nodded anyway. "Yes, Father."

Hiashi watched his youngest daughter go down the hall and turn a corner before looking back at Neji.

Neji met his uncle's gaze. "I'm sorry, Hiashi-sama. I should have been on my way to meet you by now."

"It is fine, Neji," Hiashi said, turning back to the way he had come. "Are you ready?"

"Yes, Hiashi-sama," Neji replied, confused as to why Hiashi was treating him so differently. He was also curious to know what these 'rumors' were about.

Hiashi nodded and walked out the front door with Neji trailing closely behind. Neji was a little unnerved, considering it was unusual for the Head of the Hyuuga Household to be seen out in public with a member of the Cadet Branch. Neji did his best to ignore the odd glances people gave him as he followed Hiashi down the street.

Neji became even _more_ confused when he and Hiashi arrived at the training grounds in the forest, for Gai was no where in sight. He looked around for a moment, and finally saw Gai training with Lee at the other end of the training grounds. Hiashi walked towards Gai, and then waited for him and Lee to finish their training to walk to rest of the way towards the odd sensei. Gai and Lee both greeted Hiashi and Neji cheerfully.

"Neji, I want you and Rock Lee to go wait over there," Hiashi stated firmly, pointing to the other end of the training grounds, where he and Neji had just been. Neji nodded and walked away from his uncle with Lee in tow. When the two stopped just out of earshot, Neji turned to Lee with a serious expression on his face.

"Lee, what's going on?"

"What do you mean, Neji-san?"

"You know what I mean, Lee. Tenten told me that Gai wanted to see me, and when I got home, Hiashi-sama said he was coming too. He also made Hinabi stop talking to me, as if I had some sort of plague. That's unusual, Lee. Now he's talking to Gai and doesn't want me to hear any of it. That's even stranger. Gai doesn't keep secrets from you," Neji stated. "So tell me what's going on."

"Neji-san, I have been forbidden from telling you. Gai-sensei and Hiashi-sama will explain soon, I promise."

"Lee–"

"Neji, Lee, we're ready to go. Follow us," Gai said, his voice loud enough for them to hear him. He turned with Hiashi and began to walk away from the training grounds. Neji was unable to stop from asking himself what was going on, and more questions were created as they arrived at the Ninja Academy.

Neji was now more confused than ever as he and the other men walked inside the Academy.

_If they wanted quiet, I think they've found it,_ Neji thought as they walked through the halls. He was a little creeped out by the place; considering he'd never been inside it when it was deserted.

Neji had his thoughts cut off as they entered the room Iruka usually taught in. Iruka was no where to be found, which slightly disturbed Neji, considering he figured the man didn't exactly have a normal life, and he lived in the Academy while he waited to teach the students. This thought, of course, had been impaled into his brain by none other than Naruto, who enjoyed training with he and Lee.

Neji wasn't amused this time, though, as Hiashi motioned for everyone to take a seat. They all did so without an argument, as Hiashi took a seat in Iruka's chair. Gai was the first to speak.

"Neji, please allow us to explain everything before you speak," he requested.

"Yes, Gai-sensei," Neji replied, guessing that using formal titles would be the best idea while Hiashi was around.

"Thank you," Gai said, before settling down and beginning to explain what was going on. "That dagger that hit you a month ago was a special one, Neji. It stores chakra within it, and holds it even after it's been released by the user. The dagger is capable of disrupting the chakra flow if used properly."

"I take it the dagger was used correctly?" Neji guessed.

"That's right," Gai replied.

"So what does that mean?" Neji asked, trying to get to the bottom of this conversation.

"Without perfect chakra control capabilities, it is impossible for a Hyuuga to perform any jutsu – like the Sixty-four Palms Heavenly Spin," Hiashi replied. "Neji, your chakra has been damaged to an extent where your chakra won't replenish itself properly, and without chakra, you will die."

Neji did not like where this was heading. He braced himself, though he hoped that his condition was nothing serious, or that this was just a bad dream. It felt like a dream, so was he right? He mentally smacked himself, and concluded that this was real enough.

It did not sit well with the young Hyuuga.

"What we are trying to explain . . . Is that you will never be able to fight as a shinobi again, Neji," Hiashi finished, waiting to see what his nephew's reaction would be.

Neji's eyes widened in complete shock, for he was unable to believe that this was actually happening to him. Questions whizzed within his head, but none of them made any sense to him. Being a ninja was his life! He looked at Hiashi for a moment, but said nothing. This couldn't be happening!

"Do not worry, Neji-san! I am sure that you will still be able to do many things!" Lee said brightly, trying to cheer his friend up. "Am I right, Hiashi-sama?"

"Yes," Hiashi replied. "You will be able to attend and take part in meetings held by the village and our household. I will train you in those fields myself. You will also be able to help Iruka with the Academy students."

Neji could barely understand a word his uncle said, for he was still trying to recover from the news. He hardly even felt his legs move when he and Hiashi left the Academy and headed home.

**_-----------------------------------------------------_**

**_Okay! That's the end of chapter one! Well, let me know what you think of it, okay? I'd really like to know, and constructive criticism is more than welcome! I can use any and all help I can get, for the advice will help me out with future chapters. Thanks!_**


	2. The Beginning of the Journey

_**Authors Note:** _Okay! Here's chapter two! It's a little shorter than the first one, and a little less action-ey, but I'll try to make the next one longer than the first and twice as good as this one. So, anyway, here goes my next chapter. Enjoy!!

**_Disclaimer:_** As I said in the first chapter - I do not own Naruto, nor will I ever. The characters in this chapter belong to Masashi Kishimoto. Not me.

**

* * *

Chapter Two: The Beginning of the Journey **

Neji woke at midnight that same evening. Thoughts ran in circles on the inside of his mind; forbidding him from escaping to his dreams again. He sat up, sighing. "There's no way I'll survive if I'm stuck in the village doing 'good deeds'," he muttered to himself, slowly getting out of his sleep-warm bed. "Besides - I'll just be a nuisance if I stay here. I won't make a very good negotiator at any meetings Hiashi-sama takes me to, I'm sure . . ."

He refused to admit to himself what was _really_ bothering him. He was afraid that Hiashi had only offered to train him for his loyalty to the clan - and Neji certainly didn't want to be a burden. He, in his own opinion, was of no use to the village in his condition.

Neji sighed as he walked over to his closet and pulled out a uniform. He changed out of his night clothes and into his uniform, stretching once they were comfortably on. He grabbed a backpack and threw a few more of his uniforms into it - as well as a few undergarments and hair ties, and then slipped on his sandals.

He walked over and made his bed; not wanting to appear rude. Once his bed was finished, he went to the window and opened it without a sound. He jumped out onto the roof soundlessly and carefully closed the window behind him.

Neji consciously placed his footing, and then jumped onto the next roof with no noise; being careful not to slip and fall. He continued to repeat his actions until he arrived at the village gates.

He had taken special care to avoid Tenten's, Lee's, and Gai's houses. He didn't need any second thoughts about what he intended on doing. As he approached the broad Leaf Village gates, an ANBU confronted him. Neji stopped in his tracks. "Yes?"

"Where are you going at such a time?" The ANBU asked suspiciously.

"I am going on a mission."

"I was not informed of anyone leaving on missions. I'm afraid that I will not be able to allow you to leave on those grounds alone."

"This mission is not one given to me by the Hokage. This is merely something I must do."

"Who are you?" The ANBU asked; obviously still a little skeptical.

"I am Hyuuga Neji of the Cadet Branch."

"Can you prove that?"

"My father was Hyuuga Hizashi, and the curse mark I have was given to me by Hiashi-sama himself," Neji replied, as he removed his headband to reveal the curse mark he had been branded with.

The ANBU nodded in satisfaction as he stepped out of the way so Neji could pass through. "Happy travels," he said, before closing the gate behind Neji.

Neji walked along the path that led to the outskirts of the Leaf Village, not stopping until he had reached the border of Konoha, where the deserts of Suna could be seen on the horizon. He leaned against one of the scrawny trees; taking a break before he would spend the next two and a half days traveling through the desert.

After nearly a half-an-hour had passed, Neji stood up and began his journey through the steaming desert.

* * *

"So, why are we doing this again?" Naruto asked, looking at Sakura curiously. The pink-haired medical ninja's eye twitched in annoyance. "Naruto, weren't you paying _any_ attention?! We're going to go find Neji! No one's seen him for a day!" 

"Oh, right," Naruto said, nodding in remembrance.

In truth, he hadn't heard a word Sakura had said. He turned to Kakashi. "So . . . When are we gonna go?"

"Well, well! Look who it is!" A loud, obnoxious voice called out. Naruto cringed and looked at the source of the outburst - Inuzuka Kiba. The dog-nin had a huge grin on his face, with a blushing Hinata on one side of him and Akamaru on the other; his tail wagging fiercely.

"Man, going on a mission with _you_ guys is going to be _such_ a drag," Shikamaru groaned, as he walked up.

"Aww, man! Shikamaru's here too?!" Naruto complained.

"Oh, shut it, Naruto," Shikamaru huffed. "I don't even _want_ to be here . . ."

"Sakura-chan! Naruto-kun!" Lee called out, coming up with Gai and Tenten. "I am glad that you are all here to help us locate Neji-san!"

"Well, since everyone that's available are here," Kakashi started, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly. Before he could finish, Kotetsu came running up. "Sorry I'm late. I made it, though."

"All right, it's fine," Kakashi said, before focusing on the task at hand. "Now, for separation. Gai; you, Lee, Tenten, Hinata, and Kotetsu are going to head to the Sand Village to see if Neji's there. Shikamaru, Sakura, Naruto, Kiba, and I are going to visit the Waterfall Village and check for him there."

"Okay!" Gai said with a nod and the "Good-Guy" pose. "Whoever's group finds Neji first wins!"

Kakashi sighed, deciding to ignore Gai's challenge. He looked at everyone. "Since Suna is the farthest from here, we'll go ahead and meet up there. So, Gai, you and your team just wait for my group there. Once we check the Waterfall, we'll meet you. Does everyone understand?"

When everyone nodded, Kakashi said the words everyone waited for.

"Move out!"

**_

* * *

_**

**_Okay! There's chapter two! I don't think it's as good as the first chapter, but I still hope you enjoyed it, and I'll post the next chapter as soon as I can! Thanks!_**

**_Please review your opinion,_**

**_Shebby_**


	3. You're who?

**Author's Note:** Okay, chapter three is up! This one is longer than both other chapters, just like I said! So, without further stalling, I give you _Chapter Three: You're who?_

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto, nor any of the characters that are in Naruto. They belong to Masashi Kishimoto. I _do_ own Kyla, though. I own that much.

**

* * *

** **You're who?**

There were many times when Neji wished that he could just use his chakra to get to Suna faster, but he knew that _that_ would be impossible. He'd been traveling for two days now, and he was exhausted. He was finally getting close to the village, but for some reason, he was extremely paranoid. Since he was unable to use Byakugan (considering it used chakra), he was on full alert.

He couldn't shake the feeling that someone was following him, and unfortunately, his suspicions were confirmed as he reached the village gates. He heard a soft tap that was barely audible to the untrained ear as he approached them. He turned to see what it was, and ended up dodging a rocketing kunai that had been launched from his left at record speeds. It landed near his foot; barely an inch away from it.

Neji whirled around to face his attacker. It was a man no larger than himself, wearing a plain fishnet shirt and a pair of black cargo pants. His headband bore the symbol of the Hidden Sand Village.

As Neji sized his opponent up, something nagged at the back of his brain that something was wrong with this picture. The man glared at Neji furiously from his position.

"What is it that you hope to gain by attacking me?" Neji asked stoically. "I didn't attack you."

"That's right, you didn't," The man sneered. "But that's because I attacked _you_ before you had the chance."

"What makes you think that I would attack you?" Neji asked, thoroughly confused. Weren't Konohagakure and Sunagakure allies?

"You're trespassing," The man spat back before pulling out three kunai. He threw them expertly at Neji, revealing that he'd been a ninja for a while now.

Neji jumped back and grabbed three shuriken of his own, tossing them to deflect the kunai-knives.

_If this man wants a fight, _Neji thought, preparing. _Then I'll give him one!_

The mysterious Sand Ninja did a hand seal, a serious expression pasted on his face. "Fire-style; Feather Flames!" he growled. Neji, at first, thought the jutsu was a joke, considering he'd never heard the name. He was proved wrong when millions of feathers appeared all around Neji. Each feather sharpened and caught fire, as if each were individually lit. All of the feathers turned towards him, and then rocketed towards Neji at record speeds; threatening to tear the man to shreds.

Neji narrowed his eyes at his opponent. He looked at the feathers, darting back and to the side. He was soon distraught to learn that the feathers would follow him wherever he went; as if they were attached by invisible chakra strings. He paused for a brief moment, and then pulled out a kunai from his holster and jumped up to cut as many of the feathers up as he could. He split nearly half of the feathers before he landed back on the ground, only to be deeply dismayed when each of the feathers he had sliced became several separate feathers.

With this disadvantage in mind, Neji knew that taking the man out would be his best and only option. He pulled out two more kunai out of his holster and darted towards the boy. His opponent prepared with two kunai of his own. He quickly locked the blades of his knives with those of Neji's.

It seemed that Neji had the advantage, since the boy he was fighting appeared to have very little physical strength. Neji was quickly over-powering the man. _A kick should get him out of my way . . . _Neji thought, pulling his leg back to strike.

What the boy lacked in strength, he made up for in speed. In a flash he had his leg entwined with Neji's. He gave a quick tug, sending Neji back-first onto the ground with a pained gasp; his breath knocked out of him. The man readied one of his kunai for the final blow, but he was interrupted by a voice before he could give the damage.

"There! Go _that_ way!" A loud voice called out, the owner of the voice out of view.

The man Neji had been fighting looked away in surprise. After a moment, he reached down and grabbed the stunned Hyuuga, picking him up. He hoisted Neji onto his shoulder. Whoever had called out and startled the man was still no where in sight.

The boy looked at Neji from over his shoulder and out of the corner of his eye. "Keep quiet," he instructed, sprinting ahead carefully.

Neji figured that listening to this man would be in his best interest, since he really didn't want to end up face-first on the ground; considering his limbs refused to move. Besides, he really had no interest in any of this – at least not until he heard a specifically recognizable word: "Katsu".

His eyes widened significantly as he saw a huge explosion go off behind in front of him, which was behind this boy carrying him. He looked at the back of the man's head.

"What's going on?!" he demanded, looking back at the smoke from the bomb that had gone off. It was huge. He heard "katsu" again and watched as another bomb detonated, closer this time. He realized that they were being pursued. "Why are they chasing us?!"

"Didn't I tell you to keep your mouth shut?!" The man snapped, darting behind a rather large sand dune.

There's no where to hide in a desert, Neji realized. He also realized that whoever was chasing them knew it too.

The man set Neji back down on the ground. "Sorry for attacking you before," he stated firmly. "I thought you were one of them; just in a disguise."

Neji nodded. "But why–"

"Katsu, un!" A man shouted, sending Neji and the other man flying back in the aftershock of a major explosion.

"Did we get them?" The first voice Neji had heard asked; his tone excited.

"Shut it, Tobi, un," The second snapped. "I'm just as tired of chasing her around as you are, but you shouldn't complain."

'_Her'?_ Neji repeated mentally, before looking over at his companion, who was in the process of standing up. Surely these people had the wrong person?

"Well, so much for _that_ plan," The boy muttered, doing a hand sign. Neji's eyes widened as the boy was engulfed in a cloud of smoke, which cleared to reveal a violet-haired girl in his place. She looked at Neji with determination blazing in her eyes. "They haven't officially caught up yet. We have to get out of here," she said, her tone commanding as she added, "_now_."

Neji nodded and prepared himself for a long chase-and-run. "Then let's go."

He jumped up, seeing two people riding a huge, strangely familiar bird heading their way. He'd seen that bird before. He knew it, but he couldn't remember from where he'd seen it at.

The young girl with Neji grabbed his arm to halt him. "Hold still," she instructed; releasing him and doing multiple hand signs. Neji stared at her incredulously. Did she honestly expect him to stand still when they were being chased?!

A cloud of smoke appeared, revealing two large cats. They were lynxes of abnormal size. The first lynx was a large, violet, black, and turquoise one. The second wasn't as big, and its color was just black. Both of the huge cats were eyeing Neji skeptically and, as he thought, hungrily.

"Kinanno, Kenpou – come on! Kenpou, grab the boy. Kinanno, you're coming with me!" The girl commanded, before looking at Neji. "Get on the black one's back. She'll take care of the rest."

"Is this honestly _safe_?!" Neji asked seriously.

"I wouldn't tell you to do it if it was dangerous," she replied bitterly. She jumped onto the purple cat's back. Neji scowled. This was coming from the girl that had attacked him less than ten minutes ago. The black cat hissed at Neji warningly. The man caught the hint and carefully climbed onto the cat's back. It had to kneel just to let him on.

"Katsu, un!" The blond man on the bird shrieked, causing another bomb to go off right where Neji had just been. Kenpou darted to the side to avoid the explosion; following Kinanno as she did so.

"Well, that was closer than I would have liked," Kenpou muttered, continuing to run behind the larger cat. Neji's eyes widened.

"You . . . Can talk?"

"Obviously," she replied, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Kenpou jumped over a few sand dunes and sprinted up next to Kinanno.

Deidara-sempai! You're going too slow! They're going to get away!" The one called "Tobi" shouted.

"Shut it Tobi, un!" The second shrieked back.

Neji cringed as another explosion was fired; much closer than he would have preferred. He glanced over at the girl, but she didn't return the glance. She kept her focus ahead of her, shifting only when a fifth bomb went off. Her cat, Kinanno, pulled a swift right, crossing the border of Wind Country – straight into Rain Territory. At the last moment, the girl did a hand sign, making them all appear on the opposite side of the poisoned gas canyon that surrounded the Rain Country.

_What are we doing so close to Amegakure?_ Neji wondered. He hadn't realized how close they were to the border during all of the commotion. They must have been running faster than he had thought.

The lynxes sped up and the bomb receded with a shout of "dang! They've gone into the canyon, un!"

It wasn't like Neji was about to complain about the blond's mistake, though.

"They've stopped . . . Finally," The woman sighed, as her cats came to an abrupt halt. Kinanno let out a long, tired hiss. It made her sound like she was deflating. She lay down in the sleek green grass, panting lightly.

"Just because the "Deidara" boy said that we got caught in the canyon doesn't mean that they won't send more later to make sure," she said calmly, resting her head on her forepaws.

"I already know that," The girl sighed, before looking at Neji. "Having trouble?" she asked, watching Kenpou attempt to buck him off. Neji just muttered something under his breath, trying to cling on for his life.

"If you would give him a moment, I'm certain that this man will get off of you on his own accord," Kinanno told Kenpou calmly. The black cat nodded and halted her thrashing.

Neji was off of her in an instant, a little dizzy.

When the girl said nothing, Kinanno stood up and walked over to Neji. "Are you okay?"

"Fine," Neji said shortly, brushing himself off. "You?"

"I'm great," she purred. "I am Kinanno. That is Kenpou. She is–"

"None of your business," The girl spat, stepping in. She looked at Neji. "You look out of place, and you're from the Leaf Village. You're probably some rogue, and I've dealt with enough rogues for one life-time."

Neji glared at her. "I am _not_ a rogue ninja. My name is Hyuuga Neji," he stated. "Why were those two chasing you?"

"That's none of your business, either!" The girl spat angrily.

"You're the kind type, aren't you?" Neji asked dryly.

She narrowed her eyes at Neji, her glare fierce as she tried to come up with a retort for his statement. Her glare didn't decrease as she spoke. "You honestly expect me to be kind after what just happened back there?!"

"Most people who help to rescue someone else _is_ kind."

The girl glared at him. "Well, I'm not most people. I only saved you so it wouldn't be my fault if you ended up dead. I don't need you around to cause more problems, so just go away!"

Neji was a little surprised. He hadn't expected her sudden outburst, or for her to snap at him. "All right, then, I _will _go. Have a good day," he said, turning and walking away from her. Just because she was going to leave on a bad note, didn't mean _he_ had to as well. He already had enough people think he was a bad person.

The girl turned on her heel as well and walked off, steam almost visible off of the top of her head. Kinanno and Kenpou looked at each other as the two walked away from each other. With no words spoken, both cats ran after a different person.

Kenpou, so luckily, went after Neji. "W-wait! P-please!" she panted, trying to get him to stop. Neji stopped out of surprise, turning to look at the lynx. "What is it?"

"Could you please give her another chance?"

Neji wasn't aware that he was _giving_ chances. He didn't know what the cat was talking about, and spoke his thoughts. "What?"

"My mistress is under much stress lately, and it would do her much good to travel with another human," Kenpou replied. "Please, travel with her . . ."

Neji hesitated. Should he give her another 'chance'? She had obviously wanted him gone and off of her shoulders, and he had left the village to _avoid_ being a burden to anyone. It would do him no good to do what he had intended on _not_ doing.

"Please?" The cat tried, looking up at him desperately.

Neji sighed, but nodded. "On one condition; she has to agree to let me come," he said. _Besides, it's not like I have anything important to do . . ._ he added to himself.

The cat gave a toothy grin. She walked around Neji and gave him a nudge forward with her head. Neji sighed and walked back to where he had been before.

Kinanno and the girl were both standing there. She was the first to speak.

"Look, I didn't treat you very . . . _Fairly_, I suppose. You're probably just as lost as I – er, any new traveler is. Anyway, since you've already been dragged into this, would you like to travel with me and these two?" she asked, gesturing to Kinanno and Kenpou.

Neji thought for a moment, and then nodded. "Sure, I'll come," he replied; on the grounds that he had nothing better to do anyway. "So . . . What's your name?"

"It's . . ." she hesitated, still unsure. "My name is Muneyuki Kyla."

And with that, both set out to trek through the territory surrounding the Hidden Rain Village.

* * *

**_Okay! There you go! That's chapter three for you. I hope you enjoyed it. Please review!_**


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